Flake metallic pigments such as aluminum, mica, alumina, and bronze have been widely used to provide metal-tone appearances to cars, electrical appliances, cosmetics, building materials, and the like. A flake glass, which has a flat shape and a smooth surface, is one of such flake metallic pigments, and exhibits distinctive luster and shining look. Hence, the flake glass is widely used by blending it with a coating agent, such as a paint or ink, or a molding resin.
When a metal coating layer is formed on the surface of such a flake glass, a metal-coated flake glass having distinctive metallic luster is obtained. Such a metal-coated flake glass has been used to provide metallic look and shining look to paints, cosmetics, and the like (for example, see Japanese Utility Model Laying-Open No. 62-175045 (Patent Literature 1), Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 55-165970 (Patent Literature 2), and the like).
Further, a metal-coated flake glass in which the surface of the above-described metal coating layer is further coated with another layer has been also known (Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 03-054126 (Patent Literature 3) and Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 04-193725 (Patent Literature 4)).